


Nightmares

by run_your_clever_boy_and_remember_me



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura & Keith (Voltron) Friendship, Allura & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Asexual Pidge | Katie Holt, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Black Paladin Shiro (Voltron), Blood and Injury, Blow Jobs, Blushing, Bonding, Bottom Keith (Voltron), Boys In Love, Comfort, Coming Out, Confessions, Crying, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Family Feels, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Galaxy Garrison, Galra Empire, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Shiro (Voltron), Getting Together, Holding Hands, Homesick Lance (Voltron), Hugs, Hunk & Keith (Voltron) Friendship, Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) Friendship, Keith and Lance are soulmates, Keith has insomnia (Voltron), Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Lance Has Nightmares (Voltron), Literal Sleeping Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Mentioned Haggar (Voltron), Mentioned Lance (Voltron)'s Family, Mentions of Other Voltron Paladins, Mutual Pining, Nightmares, Orphan Keith (Voltron), Paladins, Paladins Bond, Pansexual Hunk (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Princess Allura (Voltron), Sexual Content, Sharing a Bed, Sleeping Together, Sleepy Cuddles, Smut, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Soulmates, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Space Mom Allura (Voltron), Space Uncle Coran (Voltron), Sweet/Hot, Top Lance (Voltron), Uncle Lance (Voltron), broganes, but not really enemies, klance, klangst, sex with feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-24 06:34:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30068151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/run_your_clever_boy_and_remember_me/pseuds/run_your_clever_boy_and_remember_me
Summary: (Excerpt:)Lance feels a panic returning, thinking that if he goes to sleep he’ll have another nightmare. He gets an idea. A very stupid idea.“Keith, can I…”Lance realizes just how stupid his idea is and stops himself. Keith would never agree anyway.“Uh… Nevermind.”“What is it?” Keith asks.“Nothing, it’s stupid.”“Lance.” Keith says, voice firm. “It’s just me. You can tell me anything. What is it?”‘Just’ you, Lance thinks. Right.But dammit, he can get Lance to do anything when he looks at him like that. So Lance gives in, and says it all quickly before he loses his nerve:“I… I was wondering if maybe I could sleep with you tonight?”Keith’s eyes widen a little, his eyebrows going up, his mouth parting.“Just because, well, I used to go to sleep with my brother when I had nightmares, so I thought… But nevermind, it was a stupid idea, you…”“Okay.”Lance thinks he must have heard wrong. He stares at Keith. “... O-okay?”“Yeah, okay. You can sleep with me.” Keith’s cheeks start to burn. “I-I mean… Like, sleep. You can come sleep with me, in my room, if… If you think that’ll help you sleep better.”
Relationships: Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 86





	Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So, if you want like a timeline reference, this is set around season 2 or 3 of Voltron.
> 
> Two warnings: I describe one of Lance's nightmares, and it has mentions of blood and injury and death, nothing graphic, but still. If you want, you can skip it. It's in italic and it starts with "The Galra have infiltrated the Castle.", so just skip it to the next line separator. Other warning: there is a sex scene, nothing too explicit, but if you don't like that kind of stuff, you can skip it too. Just skip from "Lance’s hands are suddenly underneath Keith’s shirt" to "Lance falls on top of him".
> 
> Happy reading, I hope you like it!

Keith can’t sleep. He is pretty used to having insomnia by now, so when he realizes that he really won’t be getting any sleep for the next few hours, he gets too restless and gets up. 

Not being in the mood to train right now, he goes to the observation deck of the ship. Sometimes admiring the stars for a while helps him get sleepy.

When the doors open, he hears it. Someone crying. Not wanting to intrude and knowing he’s not exactly good at this kind of social interaction, he almost turns around and goes away. 

Almost.

When he sees who it is though, he can’t bring himself to just leave. Because what he sees makes his heart clench a little. Lance, in his pajamas, wrapped up in a blanket, sitting on the floor, eyes red and puffy, running nose, looking miserable.

Keith slowly walks over to him. When Lance hears him coming, he shoots a glance over his shoulder to see who it is, then quickly tries to wipe his nose and his tears.

“K-keith! Hi! Um, what… What are you… doing here?”

“Couldn’t sleep. You?” Keith says, sitting besides Lance.

“Yeah, same.”

Keith risks a glance at him. “Are you okay?”

Lance tries to give him a smile. “Me? Yeah! I’m fine! Just peachy.”

Keith is not buying it. “... Lance.”

His smile fades. “... No. I’m not okay.” Lance says, voice weak. He didn’t mean to give in so easily, but Keith just has a way of getting anything out of him. He blames those violet eyes of him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just…” Lance sighs. “I had a nightmare.” he says, feeling stupid to have been caught crying, by Keith of all people, after having a nightmare. “Go ahead. Make fun of me all you want.”

Keith’s eyebrows furrow. “Why would I make fun of you?”

And Lance wasn’t expecting that. “I… Well, because… I don’t know, because I’m crying over a stupid nightmare like a child?”

“There’s nothing wrong with crying, Lance. It just proves you’re human.”

Lance has no answer for that. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Keith says, hoping he’s not overstepping.

Lance looks at him like he might start crying again, and Keith thinks he’s said something wrong. But then Lance smiles at him; a small, genuine smile, and says “Yeah. Sure.”

He breaks eye contact, look alternating from staring at his hands on his lap and looking at the stars again, and starts: “I’ve been having them for a while… They’re about… They’re about my family.” Keith keeps watching him, giving him his undivided attention. 

“I keep having these nightmares where we get back to Earth, but we’re too late, and they’re all dead, or that I die out here and they never even know what happens to me, or that we get back but they’ve forgotten about me, don’t even recognize me, and I… I just… I miss them so much.” Lance says, voice cracking at the end, a single tear escaping and rolling down his cheek.

“Hey…” Keith takes Lance’s hand, who looks at him surprised. “None of that’s gonna happen. We’re going to end this war, and we’re gonna get back to Earth and you’ll be with them again, and you’ll have the best family reunion of all because of how much you all missed each other. Okay?”

Lance smiles, still sniffling a little. “Yeah… Okay.”

Keith realizes he’s still holding Lance’s hand and quickly pulls back, embarrassed. “I, uh… I should try to go get some sleep.” he says, already starting to get up, and knowing very well that that won’t happen anytime soon.

“Yeah, me too…” Lance says, getting up too. “Hey Keith?”

“Uhm?”

“Thanks.” he says, giving Keith a little smile. 

A smile slowly appears on Keith’s face. “Don’t mention it.”

They walk back to their rooms together in a comfortable silence. When they turn to the corridor where their rooms are, Lance feels a panic returning, thinking that if he goes to sleep he’ll have another nightmare. He gets an idea. A very stupid idea. 

“Keith, can I…”

Lance realizes just how stupid his idea is and stops himself. Keith would never agree anyway.

“Uh… Nevermind.”

“What is it?” Keith asks.

“Nothing, it’s stupid.”

“Lance.” Keith says, voice firm. “It’s just me. You can tell me anything. What is it?”

_ ‘Just’ you _ , Lance thinks.  _ Right _ .

But dammit, he can get Lance to do anything when he looks at him like that. So Lance gives in, and says it all quickly before he loses his nerve:

“I… I was wondering if maybe I could sleep with you tonight?”

Keith’s eyes widen a little, his eyebrows going up, his mouth parting.

“Just because, well, I used to go to sleep with my brother when I had nightmares, so I thought… But nevermind, it was a stupid idea, you…”

“Okay.”

Lance thinks he must have heard wrong. He stares at Keith. “... O-okay?”

“Yeah, okay. You can sleep with me.” Keith’s cheeks start to burn. “I-I mean… Like, sleep. You can come sleep with me, in my room, if… If you think that’ll help you sleep better.”

“I do. I really do. I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t think it would.” 

“Okay. Come on, then.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything…”

“Just come, Lance.”

So Lance follows Keith into his room.

Keith gets some blankets and starts putting them on the floor, making himself a bed, while Lance takes in Keith’s room. It’s just like his, except that it has practically nothing. Lance’s room has some decorations, like souvenirs he got from the planets they saved, but the only thing he can see in Keith’s room is his jacket hanging on the wall and his blade. It’s kinda depressing.

Lance goes to lie on Keith’s bed, then notices Keith, starting to lie down on a pile of blankets he’s arranged on the floor.

“What are you doing?” he asks, getting under the blankets.

“Laying down?” Keith says, one eyebrow raised.

“Oh, I thought… Nevermind.”

“What?”

“Nothing, just… Well, I thought that… We were going to sleep, like, together, but…” Lance tries not to show how disappointed he feels. “Uh, nevermind, you’re already letting me sleep in your room, I shouldn’t expect…”

“No, I… Well, I just didn’t know if you’d be comfortable with that, so I thought… But if you want me to… I can…” says Keith, feeling a heat rise from his neck to his cheeks.

“Yeah?” Lance feels a spark of hope, but tries not to show it. “Well, it’s just that… When I slept with my brother we slept on the same bed, so…”

“Yeah, okay, no problem.” Keith says, getting up.

Lance scoots over to the wall, making space for Keith, who gets in bed and lies beside Lance.

They stay in an uncomfortable silence for a moment, until Keith says “So… Uh… Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Keith.”

They turn their backs to each other. 

And if Keith couldn’t sleep before, now he is so awake. He feels the body heat coming from Lance and feels his own cheeks still burning. Why did he think this was a good idea, again? Oh, yeah. He didn’t even think. When Lance asked if he could sleep with him, his brain stopped and next thing he knew he’d already said yes. 

Why was he like this?  _ Ugh. _ He has known he likes boys since he was nine, but he never told no one except Shiro. And Lance… He has never felt for anyone else the way he feels about Lance. And he wanted to tell Lance so badly, but… But Lance is  _ straight _ and likes Allura, and they are finally getting along now, and Keith is scared that if he says something he’s gonna ruin what they have. He can’t lose one of his few friends. His best friend.

So instead he says nothing. Keeps this huge secret inside him, eating him up. 

And now he is wanting to murder his past self for saying yes for this because how can he ever sleep when Lance is in the same bed with him?

But also… How could he ever have said no? His best friend was hurting and wanted comfort. But he has to remind himself that that’s all they are.  _ Friends. _ That’s all they’ll ever be.  _ So don’t go getting your hopes up just because he asked to sleep with you. _

* * *

In the morning, Keith wakes up and feels… strange. There’s a weight and something cold on his chest. Something wet. Still half asleep, he looks down and sees Lance, drooling all over his shirt and with an arm wrapped around his torso, last night coming back to Keith.

He smiles at Lance, watching the rise and fall of the boy's chest, seeing how at peace he looks asleep. He feels a surge of fondness run over him, and he slowly, gently reaches to brush Lance’s hair out of his face, thinking  _ I could get used to this _ .

He immediately feels guilty.

Lance is just looking for comfort from a friend, and Keith won’t allow himself to imagine that there’s anything else to it. He can’t. He can’t get his hopes up. Otherwise, he’ll have his heart broken, and it’s already fragile enough after being mended more than once.

It was broken before.

When his mother left him.

When his father died.

When Shiro had disappeared.

So he can’t get his hopes up. He won’t.

* * *

Lance wakes up and feels… strange. His body heat is higher than usual, and his room is… different. Last night comes back to him in a rush and oh.  _ Oh. _

His room feels different because it isn’t his room. And he’s hotter than normal because there’s another body producing heat besides his. Keith’s body. Because he spent the night in Keith’s room. In Keith’s  _ bed. _ And now he… Oh my god he has his arm around Keith.  _ Oh my god  _ he was  _ drooling _ all over Keith’s shirt.  _ Shit. _

“Hi.”

Aaand he’s dead. Because Keith was already awake, and was just watching his senses come back to him. Of course he was.

“Oh my god, Keith, I’m so sorry.” he says, pulling his arm back, wiping his mouth and sitting on the bed.

“It’s okay.”

“I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean to… I’m a cuddly sleeper, I forgot to warn you about this,  _ shit _ , I’m sorry…”

“Lance. It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

Lance tries not to let that go to his head, tries not to let any new spark of hope be born, but it’s really hard. “... Oh?”

Keith curses himself for being so obvious. “I-I mean… Yeah, no worries, man. Did you… Did you have any nightmares?”

“Nope,” Lance says, popping the ‘p’. “Slept really good, actually.”

“Me too, honestly.” says Keith, trying not to remember the comfortable weight of Lance’s arm holding him.

After an awkward moment ticks by, Lance says “Well, I… I should go get dressed before breakfast.”

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

Lance gets up to leave, but stops at the door and turns. 

“Keith? Thank you for this. Truly.”

Keith smiles. “Anytime.”

* * *

Lance wakes up sitting up abruptly, drenched in sweat, out of breath, after just seeing his family die in front of him, one by one, yet again. He wraps his arms around his legs, hugging himself as he feels the telltale heat on his eyes as he starts to cry. 

He’s tired. Tired of having these nightmares every night. He thinks about how last night was the first in over a month he slept well. He tries to convince himself that Keith isn’t the reason, that maybe if he went to someone else, like Hunk, it would be the same… But who is he kidding, really? Of course it was Keith. 

Keith and his smell, so strong in his room and all over his blankets. Keith and his beautiful eyes, and lips, and his stupid hair that even though is a mullet looks so good in him. Keith and his calming voice, telling him that it’ll be okay, that he’ll see his family again, telling him that it’s okay to miss them, okay to cry. Keith and his warm chest, which Lance used as a pillow last night even if he only realized it in the morning. Keith, who woke up before Lance but didn’t move not to wake him up.

Gosh, Lance was so screwed.

He doesn’t know exactly when he fell for the raven-haired boy, but now he’s in so deep that it hurts. 

It hurts because he was actually stupid enough to fall in love for someone who was supposed to be his rival. They fight all the time and, honestly, before last night Lance thought that Keith hated him. Sure, they have some laughs sometimes, but it’s mostly with the rest of the team, so he thinks that he most likely dislikes him and just treats him like that because they’re together in Voltron. 

But now he’s not so sure, because he was really sweet and kind and understanding last night, and you don’t do that with someone you don't like. But he knows that Keith would never feel the same. At best they’re friends. 

Lance flirts a lot and knows he falls way too easily, so he’s accustomed to rejection. Hell, he’s already crushed on Allura  _ and _ in Shiro just from the team! He realized that they were both way out of his league, though, and dropped it. But those were just crushes. What he feels for Keith… It’s different. Maybe different from any other crushes he’s had before.

So, yeah, he’s screwed. Because all he wants to do right now is go over to Keith’s room and sleep there again. During the day, as hard as he tried, he couldn’t stop remembering how it felt to wake up on Keith’s chest, an arm wrapped around him. He kept thinking,  _ I could totally get used to that _ . 

But that wouldn’t be fair to Keith. He thinks Lance is just coming to him as a friend, so that’s what Lance has to behave like. Like his friend. And friends don’t keep imagining what their other friends/rivals lips would taste like against their own. So he can’t. Because that’s all they are. Friends. All they’ll ever be. 

So, yeah, if Lance can behave as a friend, there’s no harm in sleeping there again, right? It’ll help with the nightmares and nothing else has to happen. Because they’re friends. Right?

So that’s how Lance finds himself standing outside of Keith’s room.

_ This is a bad idea _ , he thinks.  _ You’re just gonna fall harder for him and get your heart broken in the end. _

He tries to go back to his room. He really does. But he can’t make himself move.

_ Ugh, why am I like this? _

* * *

Keith is lying on his bed, still awake after 3 hours of insomnia. He’s already given up on trying to sleep, too many thoughts on his mind. He’s currently trying to get over the fact that last night was a one time thing, that he and Lance will probably never sleep together again, when he hears the knock on his door.

At first he thinks he must have imagined it, so sleep deprived and wishing so hard that Lance would come that he’s hearing things. 

But then he hears something outside, like footsteps, so he jumps out of bed and opens the door, to find Lance walking away.

When the door opens, Lance turns, a little surprised. 

“Oh! Sorry, did I wake you?”

“No, don’t worry, I wasn’t asleep yet, I…”  _ I was too busy imagining what it would be like to sleep with you everyday. _ “I have insomnia.”

“Oh, that sucks, man.”

“Yeah… Are you okay?”

“Oh, um, yeah, I’m… I’m fine.”

“Did you… need something?”

_ Please, don’t ask to sleep with me again. It’s torture. _

_... _

_ Please do. _

“Well, I… I had another nightmare just now and… Could I sleep with you again? I would have asked someone else, but Hunk’s bed is barely big enough for him, Shiro is like, our team leader so I wouldn’t be comfortable sleeping with him, sleeping with Coran would be  _ really _ weird, and, well, Pidge is a girl and I wouldn’t want to make her uncomfortable, and Allura is… well, Allura.”

_ Right. Your crush. _ Keith thinks bitterly. 

“I’m flattered that you thought about every other possible option before actually coming to me.”

“It’s not like that, I just… I just didn’t wanna make you uncomfortable. It’s not like you asked to have to tolerate me during the night now besides the day.”

“I don’t… I don’t tolerate you. I like your company.” Keith says, hoping it won’t give him away.

Lance is taken by surprise by the comment. “... Oh.” A smile makes his way up his lips. “Thanks, man. For what is worth, I like your company too.”

Keith tries to stop the blush rising from his neck to his cheeks, hoping that Lance won’t notice in the soft light of the Castle on night mode. “So… you want the same spot?”

Lance’s brows furrow. “What?”

“You want the same spot on the bed as last night? By the wall?”

Lance opens his mouth to respond. Closes it. Opens again. “You’re letting me sleep here again?” He sounds genuinely surprised.

“Of course I am.” Keith says. “Come on.” He gets inside his room, waiting for Lance to follow. 

Lance does. 

They lay together, but Lance is no longer sleepy. He asks:

“Keith?”

“Yeah?”

“Can we… talk a little before we sleep? Just until I get sleepy again.”

And Keith wouldn’t miss on this chance to bond. “Sure. What do you wanna talk about?”

“I don’t know, anything.”

“... What do you miss most about your family?” Keith asks, genuinely curious.

Lance seems to consider that a moment, before answering. “The noise.”

“Noise?”

“Yeah, like… Well, with my Mami, Papi, my sisters Rachel and Veronica, my brothers Marco and Luis, Luis’s wife Lisa and their kids Silvio and Nadia, the house is never silent, you know? There’s always people talking, shouting, fighting, singing… But here… Well, space is very… quiet. And I guess that even though sometimes it drove me crazy, now I miss the noise. I know it sounds stupid...”

“It doesn’t sounds stupid.” Keith says. “Really big family, huh?”

“Yeah, hahah… Never a quiet moment with the McClains.”

“I didn’t know you were an uncle.” Keith says, wondering how much he still doesn’t know about Lance. He wants to learn everything. His every secret.

“Oh, yeah, man. And I’m their favorite uncle, too! Marco always tries to get them to say he’s their favorite, but they never do! Uncle Lance is just the best. You can ask them when we get back.” 

He stops talking abruptly. Keith risks a glance at him. He looks devastated. 

“If... I mean… If we get back…”

“Hey.” Keith says, interlacing his fingers with Lance’s, who looks at him surprised. “ _ When _ we get back, I’ll ask them.”

Lance smiles, giving Keith’s hand a little squeeze in thanks. He tries not to think too much on how this is the second time in two days that Keith has taken his hand, even though he’s known for hating to initiate physical contact.

He tries even harder not to think about how this time Keith didn’t pull back his hand right away.

They fall into a comfortable silence, and Lance falls asleep in a few moments, still holding Keith’s hand.

* * *

After that, it becomes routine. When the rest of the team is already asleep, Lance goes to Keith’s room, who lets him in without hesitation. Most times they talk a little before sleeping, sometimes they don’t, just appreciating the other’s company being enough. 

They start to get more comfortable around each other, not so shy, and when their hands brush under the covers, maybe they linger a little longer than they should. 

Keith is usually the last to sleep and the first to wake up, already used to finding Lance wrapped around him, legs intertwined, head on his chest, arm around his waist. He tries his best not to enjoy it, to convince himself that they’re just friends and that’s all they’ll ever be, but it keeps getting harder and harder after every night, after he gets to know Lance better, after they share secrets in the dark, after they sleep together, after he wakes up in Lance’s arms. 

It feels like torture, finding out what it would be like to wake up in his arms if they dated, but also knowing he’ll never have this in the way he wants, in the way his body craves, in the way his heart desires.

But he can’t just tell Lance he can’t do this anymore, because that would require a reason, an explanation, and explaining why would be pretty much confessing his feelings.

So he doesn’t say anything.

He swallows his feelings and just provides comfort for his friend.

And he gets comfort in return too. Lance is kind with him when they talk about sensitive subjects, and even if he doesn’t realize it, Lance is helping him too. He’s sleeping better ever since they started sleeping together, his insomnia practically disappearing, making him more productive during the day.

One night, they’re talking and Lance is going on about all the things he’ll do when they get back to Earth when he asks Keith: “What do you miss most from Earth?”

And Keith thinks about the things he’d miss if he ever got separated from them. He’d miss Shiro. He’d miss the team. He’d miss Lance. “I… don’t have much there to miss, actually.” he says. “I guess I miss watching the sunset.”

“Oh, come on, you don’t miss your family?” Lance asks.

At first Keith thinks he’s making a joke, but he doesn’t think Lance would be so heartless to joke about this. So it dawns on him that he’s never told him. “You… don’t know, do you?”

Lance looks confused. “Know what?”

“Lance… I don’t have a family back on Earth. I’m an orphan.”

Lance freezes. He slowly turns to face Keith, mouth hanging open, a hand coming to cover it. “Oh my god, Keith, I’m so sorry, I didn't know!” he says, putting a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Shit, I would never have… Shit, Keith, I talk about my family almost every night, and you never talked about yours and I thought… I thought that maybe you missed them too much and didn’t want to talk about them, so I never asked, but I… I never imagined…”

“Lance. It’s okay. I don’t want you to feel sorry for me, okay? I’m used to it.”

“Yeah, okay. Sorry.” Lance says, and now that he stops to think about it, it’s pretty obvious Keith’s an orphan. He was living in a shack in the middle of the desert all by himself when they got together again, and back at the Garrison, everyone always talked about how Shiro practically took him in. Maybe he  _ actually _ took him in. Suddenly Keith and Shiro’s relationship was making a whole lot more sense, how close they were. Seriously, how could Lance have been so stupid?

“Do you… Do you know what happened to them? Your parents? If you don’t mind me asking.” Lance says, wanting to know Keith better, but also afraid he’s intruding.

“I don’t mind.” Keith says. “My dad died when I was 10. He was a firefighter and one day a rescue mission went wrong... I ended up going to some foster homes, but… Well, I used to get in a lot of fights so I always got kicked out. Shiro helped me get in the Garrison and he kinda took me in. My mom… She left me and my dad when I was a baby. I don’t know why she left or where she went... Dad didn’t talk about her much, I think it hurt him badly when she left, so I don’t really know anything about her.”

“Oh, Keith…” Lance says, his heart aching to think that Keith has had such a difficult life, known so much pain already.

“It’s okay, I… I’ve already accepted it.”

_ You shouldn’t have to, though…  _ Lance thinks. He just wants to reach out and kiss him, make him forget all the pain he’s been though, mend his scars one by one. But he can’t. So instead he asks: “Can I give you a hug?” 

Keith’s eyes widen a little and Lance thinks he sees a little blush appearing on his cheeks. “Oh. Yeah. Okay.”

And since they’re lying down, Lance just scoots closer to Keith’s side and wraps an arm around him, resting his head on his shoulder. Keith’s arms hesitate for a moment, before they’re wrapping around Lance, holding him. When Lance feels Keith rest his cheek atop his head, he blurts out: “Maybe you can share mine.”

“What?” Keith asks.

“My family.” 

As Keith doesn’t answer, Lance realizes what he’s just said. 

“I-I mean… They’ve already practically adopted Hunk, I’m sure they’d love you too. When we get back, I’ll introduce you to them, and you can always come to, like, Christmases and New Years and stuff.”

“... You really think they’d like me?” Keith asks, voice just above a whisper. 

“I know so.” Lance says, confident. 

He feels an immense surge of fondness when he feels Keith smiling against his hair, and when Keith doesn’t pull away. They fall asleep in each other’s arms.

* * *

During the day, since they were both sleeping better and they were closer now, they were in a better mood overall, stopped fighting so much, were now always laughing together, spending more time with one another. The rest of the team, oblivious to their new sleeping arrangements, noticed they were getting along better, but couldn’t tell why.

Nobody asked.

Nobody… except Shiro.

It was just after dinner when he called him. 

“Hey, Keith, can I talk to you for a moment?”

Keith has seen this coming. Hoped it wouldn’t.

“Uh… Sure.”

They stay behind as the others go on. As soon as the doors are closed, Shiro starts: 

“Sooo… I noticed you’re spending quite a lot of time with Lance lately.”

Keith pretends he doesn’t know what this conversation is about. “Yeah, I guess. What about it?”

“Does he know?”

“Know what?”

“That you’re gay.”

Because that’s Shiro. Straight to the point.

“... No. No one knows. I’ve only told you.”

“You should tell him.” Shiro says. As if it were that easy.

And he wants to. He almost told him so many times already. But he’s scared. Scared that if he does, it’ll change things. For one, he obviously won’t want to sleep with him anymore. But he’s scared that he’ll start treating him differently. He doesn’t want to lose what they have. “I don’t think so.” 

“Keith…”

“Have you told him  _ you’re _ gay?” Keith says, getting defensive.

“Well, no, but my relationship with him is as a leader. I don’t have the intimacy you have with him. But I intend to tell him when I feel that our bond is at that level.”

And Keith hates it when Shiro gives him good arguments. He sighs. “We’re finally getting along. I don’t want to ruin that.”

“Exactly because you’re getting along I think you should tell him. Actually, I think you should tell the whole team, but maybe start with Lance. I really don’t think it’ll ruin anything. Honestly, for what I know of Lance he’ll be totally okay with it and it’ll only strengthen your friendship. It’s not healthy to keep these things inside us, Keith.”

“I’m not! I told you!”

“You did, and I’m grateful for it, but I think it would do you good to share it with someone your own age as well.”

And Keith understands Shiro’s point, he actually agrees with him, but it doesn’t make it any easier. “But what if… What if he starts to treat me differently? What if he doesn’t want to be my friend anymore?” Keith asks, voice weak.

Shiro takes a step forward and places a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “I really don’t think he will, Keith.” He says, voice kind. “And if he does? I’ll have a little chat with him.”

“Gosh, please don’t.” Keith says, already imagining it.

Shiro chuckles. “Don’t worry. I doubt I’ll have to.” Shiro hesitates for a moment. Then he says: “I just don’t want you getting hurt, Keith. I see the way you look at him.”

Keith tries his best to fight the blush rising on his cheeks, but fails. “Wha - I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Shiro just gives him a knowing smile and hums. “Hm-hum. Just… think about it, okay? Try to tell him.” He gives Keith’s shoulder a squeeze and starts walking to the door. When he reaches it, he pauses and looks back. “And Keith?”

“Hm?”

“I think you’d like to know…” he says, a grin spreading across his face. “I’ve seen him looking at you, too.” And with that he leaves.

Keith just stands there, looking at where Shiro was, trying to process the information, because… No. It couldn’t be. Shiro didn’t actually think that Lance… Could he...?

No. Shiro must have misread. Lance was probably looking at him for some other reason. There’s no way he could actually like him. … Right?

Right. 

_ Lance is straight. Don’t get your hopes up. _ he told himself for the thousandth time that week. 

* * *

One night, a while after a conversation about how awful the Castle’s food goo is and what Earth food they miss the most, when Keith thought that Lance had already fallen asleep and was finally getting sleepy himself, Lance asked him.

“Have you ever been in love?”

Keith’s eyes shot wide open, any traces of sleep gone. He had to remind himself to breathe. 

“W-what?” he said, cursing himself for stuttering, refusing to look at Lance, staring at the ceiling. Lance, who was lying on his side, facing Keith, so close he could feel him breathing. Lance, who he was in love with and who was lying on _his_ _bed_.

“I don’t know if I have. I mean, I had a lot of crushes over the years, but I don’t know if I ever truly  _ loved _ anyone, you know?”

Not trusting his voice not to stutter again, Keith just nods.

“How do you know if you’re in love?” Lance asks, voice just above a whisper. 

And, only having been in love once, Keith tries to remember how he noticed he had fallen for Lance. “Well… I guess… It’s just a feeling you get, you know? You think about them when you wake up, and before you go to sleep, and you just want to spend every moment you have with them. If you’re together, you enjoy every second of it. If you’re apart, you wonder what they’re doing. You appreciate every little thing they do, like the way they talk, or how they brush their fingers through their hair, things like that. And you just… You want them to be happy, you know? Even if… Even if they’re not with you. Because they deserve happiness even if they won’t seek it from you.”

Lance is so quiet, Keith risks a glance at him, wondering if he fell asleep. When he turns, he finds Lance staring at him, lips parted, cheeks slightly darker than the rest of his tan skin, eyes like the ocean pulling him in. He feels his own cheeks heating up and wants to look away, but he can’t. He’s drowning in those blue irises.

“Who do you love, Keith?” Lance whispers.

And Keith wants to tell him. He wants to tell him so much. He opens his mouth, but he can’t find the words. 

Lance seems to snap out of his trance, and blinking he says: “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. You don’t have to tell me.”

Keith closes his mouth, disappointed with himself, but also kinda relieved.

“When I was younger, I thought I was in love, like, three times. But now I don’t think it was love. I didn’t even know what being in love meant back then. I guess I just liked the idea of it, so I thought I was.” Lance goes on, changing the atmosphere considerably. “The first time was with this girl back in Cuba, Sofía. She was my neighbor and she liked to play with me. We used to talk about getting married when we grew up. But then we moved and… Well, I didn’t have a cell back then, so we sort of lost touch. The second time was this boy at my school, we…”

“Wait” Keith blurts out before he can stop himself, eyes wide. “A boy?”

“Uh… Yeah?” Lance says, eyebrows scrunching.

“You’re not…” Keith realizes he’s talking kinda loudly. “You’re not straight?”

Lance sits up at that, looking confused, but also kind of amused. “What? No. I’m bi, man. Didn’t you know that?”

Keith is so confused but also so happy that he can barely think, too many thoughts screaming in his mind, too many sparks of hope being born for him to put them all out. “Um… No.”

“I thought everybody on the team knew!”

“I didn’t.”

“But I’m always, like, flirting with everybody on planets we go to!”

And Keith is perfectly aware of that. “Well, yeah, but only with girls!”

“Um, no, I’m pretty sure I’ve flirted with guys too. But, yeah, I guess I do flirt more with girls. I don’t know, girls are easier to flirt with. You never know if a guy will get offended if you try flirting with them.”

He seemed to realize something that ripped the smile out of his face. “Um… I understand if you… If you don’t want me to sleep here anymore. Sorry, I should have told you before, I just… I thought you knew.” he says, looking down, fiddling with the bed sheets. 

Keith thinks  _ now or never. _ “No, I… I don’t mind. At all.” Lance looks at him with a little smile. “But… There’s something I should have told you, too.” he says, voice getting smaller. “Lance, I’m... I’m gay.” 

And at that, he feels a weight falling off his shoulders that he didn’t even know was there. But also come some new fears. “So, if you think it’s too weird for us to keep sleeping together, we can stop.”

“I don’t want to stop.” Lance says, without missing a beat. Keith looks at him, surprised and incredibly relieved. “Really?” he says, trying to keep his smile from getting too big.

“Yeah. I… kinda already figured as much, actually.” Lance says.

“What? But… I never… How?” Keith manages.

“I don’t know. I just have a talent for reading people like that, it’s all. I wasn’t sure, but I had my suspicions. Like, I know that Hunk’s pan, and I think Shiro’s gay, and Pidge, I know her thing is science.” 

And Keith would be lying if he said he’s not impressed. He’s never had these sort of people skills, and they just seem to come naturally to Lance. 

“I’m glad you told me, though.” Lance says, voice fond.

Keith smiles. “Me too.” 

They stay like that for a moment, just smiling and staring at each other, until Keith breaks the spell. “So…” he says, biting his bottom lip. “You still want to sleep here?”

“If that’s okay with you…” Lance says, hopeful.

“It is.”

“Okay.” he says, with a little smile.

“Okay.” Keith echoes.

They get back under the covers, facing each other. 

“Goodnight, Keith.”

“Goodnight, Lance.”

A moment passes and Keith speaks again.

“Lance?”

“Hm?” he says, opening his eyes.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” 

“For…”  _ For being my friend. For understanding. For telling me. For not treating me differently. For still being here. _ “... everything.” Keith says.

Lance smiles at him, a little fond smile. “Right back at ya.”

* * *

They keep sleeping together, every night learning more about the other, every night falling a little deeper. They both desperately want to say something, to  _ do _ something, but what they have is already so good and they’re too scared to lose it to say anything that’ll risk that. 

Sleeping with Keith works with Lance’s nightmares problem. 

Until the day that it doesn’t.

Because with new feelings, come new fears.

* * *

_ The Galra have infiltrated the Castle. They don’t know how, but there are too many of them. They need to get out of here. They need to get to their lions. _

_ “Go on, I’ll slow them down!” Keith shouts. _

_ The rest of the team keeps going, but Lance is having none of that. There’s no way Keith can stop them, they’re too many. And Lance is not abandoning Keith to die. _

_ He runs to Keith and prepares his bayard, ready to go down fighting with him. _

_ “What are you doing? I said go!” Keith yells at him. _

_ “I’m staying to help.” _

_ “Lance, just leave! I can hold them off for you!” _

_ “No!” It’s Lance’s turn to shout. “I’m not leaving you!” _

_ It all happens so fast. One moment they’re staring at each other, the other Lance hears a laser gun firing, sees a light, and suddenly Keith pales. He slowly looks down and sees the blood oozing from his chest. He looks up back at Lance, already collapsing. _

_ “No.” Lance catches him before he falls. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no!” _

_ Three Galras come up the hallway. Lance thinks he hears one of them saying “Let’s go get the others. This one is as good as dead, and the other won’t leave his side. Humans are sentimental. We can take him as a prisoner. Haggar will be pleased to have a new toy to torture.” _

_ But Lance isn’t paying them any attention. He wouldn’t even if they shooted him. He actually thinks it would hurt less. _

_ Lance is on his knees, holding the person he’s in love with in his arms while he bleeds out. _

_ “Keith! No, no… Stay with me, stay with me!” _

_ Keith has the nerve to laugh. “Looks like the roles are reversed. You’re cradling me in your arms. Shame you don’t remember me cradling you.” _

_ And Lance is already crying. “I do! I do remember! Of course I remember, Keith, how could I forget that? I’m sorry I ever said I didn’t.” _

_ Keith gives him a weak smile and starts to close his eyes.  _

_ “No, no, hey! Keith! Keep your eyes open!” Lance doesn’t know what to do, so he just tries to keep Keith alive long enough for the others to come back and help him. They’ll come back, right? “You think you can do that for me? Just keep them open, okay? Just look at me. Everything’s gonna be okay. You’re okay. Just keep looking at me.” _

_ “I…” Keith coughs blood. “I like looking at you.” he says, voice weak. _

_ “Shhh, it’s okay, don’t talk right now, okay? You’re gonna be fine.” _

_ But Keith goes on like he didn’t even hear him. “You’re so beautiful, Lance… I’ve always wanted to tell you that.” _

_ “So tell me later, okay? You can tell me how many times you want, but after you’re better. Just stay with me, okay, Keith?” _

_ But Keith’s smile is fading. His eyes are blank. He’s no longer breathing.  _

_ “Keith??” Lance says, voice cracking. “Keith, wake up. Please, wake up… Keith, please…” He hugs his best friend’s body. “Please don’t leave me…. I love you…” _

* * *

Keith wakes up in the middle of the night with a shaking, sweating, and heavy breathing Lance. He’s never had a nightmare since they started sleeping together, but Keith instantly realizes what’s happening.

He just doesn’t know exactly what to do.

He puts his hand on Lance’s shoulder and gently shakes him a little. “Lance. Lance, wake up. Lance.”

Lance wakes up, eyes shooting open, looking around and settling on Keith.

“Keith?” he says, voice broken. 

“Yeah, it’s me. It’s okay. You were having a nightmare.”

Lance starts to cry. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, Keith.” He covers his face with his hands.

“Hey, it’s okay, I don’t mind…”

“I’m so sorry! The Galra, they… They shot you, and I wasn’t fast enough! I should’ve stopped them! I should’ve protected you!”

Oh. Keith realizes he wasn’t apologizing for waking him up. Lance was apologizing for something in the nightmare. He had a nightmare about Keith.  _ Oh. _

“I saw you die, Keith!” Lance says, trembling. “You bled out in my arms! And I couldn’t… There was nothing I could do, I just…”

“Hey, hey…” Keith says, scooting closer to Lance and wrapping his arms around him. “It’s okay. I’m here. It was just a nightmare.” Lance buries his face on his chest, holding him tightly, hands grabbing Keith’s shirt until his knuckles are white.

Keith starts carding his fingers through Lance’s hair, his other hand rubbing up and down his spine in soothing motions, while he whispers over and over “It was just a nightmare. It’s okay. I’m here.” while Lance cries all over his shirt. Keith doesn’t care.

He plants a kiss on Lance’s hair. Lance pulls back a little and Keith is scared he’s gone too far. But Lance just looks at him. Almost as if… pleading? He makes a choice to take a risk.

He kisses Lance’s forehead, then looks in Lance’s eyes again, searching for any sign of rejection. He doesn’t find any. So he keeps going. He kisses Lance’s brow. His cheek. His other cheek. The tip of his nose. The corner of his mouth…

He stops, looks at Lance, asking for permission. Lance slowly opens his eyes, and in the darkness of the room he looks more gorgeous than ever. His lips slightly tilt upwards, and he closes the distance. 

It’s just a brush of their lips, but it leaves Keith light-headed. He feels like he’s floating in the clouds.

When he opens his eyes, his heart stops. Because Lance is looking at him with the same expression he feels. He falls in love all over again.

“Was that…” Lance’s voice is still a bit rough for crying, but he whispers: “Was that your first kiss?”

Keith feels a little embarrassed to be eighteen and just have had his first kiss, heat rising in his cheeks, but he nods. 

Lance’s smile becomes even more fond. “Wanna try it again?”

Keith licks his lips, not failing to notice how Lance’s eyes follow the motion, and nods again.

Lance lifts his hand to go cup Keith’s cheek, and pulls him back in again. It’s slow, and gentle, and tentative. Keith, without even thinking about it, brings his hand to the base of Lance’s neck, fiddling with his little strands of hair there. Lance’s hand that was on Keith’s cheek also moves to his hair, running his fingers in it, finally finding out how soft it is.

Lance tilts his head, deepening the kiss, and Keith melts into him. He’s been to space, but this right here… Right now, he feels lighter than if he was in space, with no gravity. He feels like he’s floating. He holds Lance like it’s the only thing keeping him from flying away.

When they go back to sleep in the same way that they go every night, Keith can’t help but think that it’s not the same. They may be in the same position that they were in yesterday, but this time is so different. Everything has changed.

And they’re so glad it has.

* * *

When Keith wakes up to the very known feeling of Lance’s arm around his waist, he feels a huge warmth run through him as he recalls last night. He doesn’t move, cherishing the heat from Lance’s body laying next to his, listening to the sound of him breathing, imagining once again what it would be like to wake up like this everyday, but this time without guilt, this time actually believing that it is a possibility. The thought alone warms his heart.

Lance slowly wakes up a few moments later. He raises his head, still on Keith’s chest, and smiles at him. “Hi.” Keith thinks that that smile is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. And knowing he is the reason for it makes it so much better. He smiles in return. 

“Good morning.”

“Morning.” Lance says, with a very sleepy voice.

Last night Lance was so exhausted from waking up from the nightmare and crying so much that they didn’t really get the chance to talk, going to sleep in blissful happiness after their kiss.

But now, even if he’s afraid of the answer, he has to know.

“Lance?”

“Hm?”

“What are we?”

Lance doesn’t answer straight away. He slowly lets go of Keith and sits on the bed, Keith doing the same. He seems to be thinking, his mind probably slower since he’s just woken up, so Keith keeps going.

“‘Cause I… I need to know. I need to know if you… If we… If last night meant something, or if you were just upset and…”

“Keith.” Lance interrupts him. “Last night meant a lot to me. Actually, you letting me sleep here, you listening to me, you comforting me when I’m upset, or crying… It all means a lot to me. I like you. I really, really like you. Actually, I think… I think I’m in love with you. And maybe I’m coming on too strong, but… That’s how I feel about you. I thought you should know. So we can be whatever you want us to be.”

Keith feels like his heart might explode. He’s imagined Lance saying it before. But to actually hear him say it… 

Lance is starting to look worried, and Keith realizes he hasn't said anything yet. “I’m in love with you too.” he finally says, trying to remember how many times he’s wanted to say it before.

Keith was wrong. He thought that the smile Lance gave him when he woke up was the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. He was wrong.  _ This _ smile, right now, is even more beautiful. He wants to keep them all. All of Lance’s smiles. He wants to cherish them forever.

And then Lance is leaning in, and suddenly they’re kissing. Again. He’s kissing Lance McClain. In his bed. Lance McClain loves him. 

Lance pulls back and says, with a little laugh bubbling out of him: “Gosh, I never thought I’d be so lucky to kiss Keith Kogane.”

“I think I’m the lucky one here.” Keith says, smiling besides himself.

“So… What are we, then? Are we like, boyfriends?”

Keith feels his heart miss a beat. Lance McClain is asking him to be his boyfriend. “Yeah, I… I’d like that.” he says, feeling gigglish.

Lance smiles and gives him a quick peck on the lips. “Are we gonna tell the team? ‘Cause I know that you haven’t told them that you’re gay yet, so… If you don’t want to…”

Keith remembers his talk with Shiro. 

_ I think you should tell him. Actually, I think you should tell the whole team, but maybe start with Lance. _

“No, I… I wanna tell them. I don’t know how, though...”

“Maybe we just… walk in to have breakfast holding hands?” Lance says, smiling.

“Yeah, I… I’d be okay with that” 

And so that’s exactly what they do. 

They enter the room together, and when they don’t go to their seats immediately, the rest of the team looks at them. Hunk gasps, pointing at their interlaced hands. “Are you…?”

“Yeah” Lance says, grinning.

“Called it.” Pidge says with a smug smile.

“That’s great!” Allura says, joining her hands.

“Congratulations, lads!” says Coran. 

Shiro comes to them. “I’m happy for you two.” 

Hunk is suddenly there, pulling Lance into a bear hug. “Dude! This is awesome!”

“I’m proud of you, Keith.” Shiro says in a low voice, keeping the conversation just between them.

Keith can’t explain it, but he just always wants so badly to make Shiro proud of him, like he did with his father before he died. With his heart full, he says “Thanks, Shiro.”

And suddenly he’s being pulled into a hug too, Hunk’s strong arms taking the air out of his lungs. “Oof! Hunk! Can’t… breathe!” he tries to say.

He lets go and takes a step back, afraid that he’s crossing a line with Keith, remembering that he doesn’t like to be touched. “Sorry, man. I’m just so happy for you guys!” Keith doesn’t really mind Hunk’s hugs, and he tries to show so by smiling at him.

Allura comes to hug them too, saying “This new bond you two now share will only be stronger because you are both a part of Voltron. Is something that hasn’t happened for generations, but the paladins of old said that the romantic bond between members of Voltron is something unlike anything else you might have experienced with past partners. Something you feel with mind and heart. Body and soul. I am truly happy that you two were able to form such a bond.”

Lance hadn’t really thought about it that way, but now that he thinks about it, the fact that they met at the Garrison, then found each other again when they went to rescue Shiro, and even with all of their fighting and bickering, they couldn’t keep away, he understands what Allura means. It almost feels as if they were meant to be together. Like they were… soulmates. 

* * *

They spend the rest of the day answering questions that the team (mostly Hunk) wanted to know about them, like when had this started, who initiated the first kiss, and things like that. And even though Keith hates to be the center of attention, he discovered that he didn’t mind it too much this time, since it meant that the team accepted him, accepted  _ them _ , and were happy for them. 

When they’re preparing to go to bed, Keith finds himself thinking that maybe he doesn’t have a family waiting for him back on Earth, but maybe that’s okay, because he has a family right here with him. A family who accepts him and loves him for who he is. And that’s all he’s ever really wanted.

When he sits on the bed, he asks Lance “Do you think what Allura said is real? About the bond between paladins being stronger?”

“I know it is.” Lance says, confident, sitting by his side. “I mean… I haven’t been with a lot of people, but I know I’ve never felt with anyone what I feel about you.” he says, a little more sheepish.

“Yeah?” Keith asks, turning to face him.

“Yeah…” he says, taking Keith’s hand.

“Well, I… I’ve never really been with anyone before, but… I’ve never felt like this, either.”

Lance smiles. He puts his hand at the base of Keith’s neck and pulls him in for a kiss. It starts slow, gentle, but Keith finds his hands moving on their own accord, exploring, and the kiss starts to get heated, more rough. 

Lance’s hands are suddenly underneath Keith’s shirt, roaming up and down his chest, sending a shiver over Keith’s whole body, his skin on fire wherever they touch. Lance pulls apart, trying to take off his shirt. Keith helps him, then moves to remove his own. They take a moment to appreciate the other. 

“ _ Dios _ , you’re so hot.” Lance says, pulling him back in and claiming his lips. Keith gathers a little courage and lets his lips trail down Lance’s jaw, to his neck. He’s always wanted to kiss him there. To find out what that smooth tan skin of his tastes like. 

“You’re so beautiful, Lance.” he whispers between kissing, sucking, gently biting his neck, his shoulders, his collarbone, earning shivers and gasps from Lance, who has tilted his head to give him more access, his fingers on Keith’s hair, pulling a little when his lips find a spot. 

Lance is suddenly pushing him away, and just when Keith starts to think that he’s done something wrong, Lance’s lips find his again, pushing him into the mattress until he’s lying down, then he’s climbing on top of him, straddling his hips, and  _ oh. _ The pressure on his crotch has his hips bucking up, searching for more contact, a groan forming in the back of his throat.

He pulls back, a little embarrassed by his body responding without him telling it to, not used to it. Lance, apparently noticing Keith freaking out, pulls back too, just enough so he can see Keith’s eyes. 

“Is this okay? If this is too much, we can stop.” he says, voice gentle, holding Keith’s face.

“No, I don’t want to stop.” Keith says, resting his hands on Lance’s thighs. 

“You sure? You don’t have to say that just because you think you have to. We don’t have to do this today, I want you to be comfortable…”

“No, I… I really want this. It’s just… I’m not used to this. I’ve never…”

Lance gives him a fond smile. “Hey. It’s okay. Just… follow my lead and your body will do the rest. Okay?”

Keith bites his lip, giving Lance a little nod. They start kissing again, a little gentler this time, but just as intoxicating. Lance’s lips find their way to Keith’s neck, and he rolls his hips, earning another groan from Keith, who’s hands and sliding up and down Lance’s thighs, squeezing them.

Lance, searching for more contact, starts grinding down on Keith, who, he is glad to notice, is squirming beneath him. He lowers his hands then, fumbling with the buttons of their pants for a second, before he is wrapping his long fingers around Keith, who’s breath hitches, gasping and letting out a trembling breath.

He then pulls himself out, already hard too, and rubs them together, a moan escaping from Keith, who tries to cover his mouth to muffle the sound. Lance pulls his hand away “Don’t cover your mouth, I wanna hear you.” 

Since this is Keith’s first time, Lance wants to please him, to make him enjoy it the best he can. Keith’s eyes go wide when he realizes that Lance is lowering himself in the bed, sending him a devilish half-lidded glance while he licks Keith from base to tip. 

Then he is taking him whole, and Keith loses his senses. His eyes shut, his head falling backwards, his hands gripping the sheets tightly. He thinks he’s letting out sounds, but he can’t really tell anymore. All he knows is that Lance’s mouth is around him and nothing else. 

Gosh, this boy will be the death of him.

A few moments later, pulling a little on Lance’s hair, he tries to warn him “Lance… I’m gonna…  _ Fuck!  _ Lance -  _ aah! _ ” 

Getting the message, Lance pulls back, climbs back up and goes to rub them together again. Keith comes in Lance’s hand, who comes too right after with a long, low moan.

Lance falls on top of him, body going limp, and Keith curls his fingers on Lance’s hair. After catching their breath, Lance says “Well, now I’m sure that the thing about the bond with paladins being unique is true. I’ve never…  _ ever _ experienced anything like this with anyone.” he says to Keith’s neck.

“Do I even have to say that me neither?” Keith asks, smiling.

Lance chuckles, raising his head to look at Keith, still lying on his chest. “I love you, Keith.” he says, voice fond. Keith finds himself thinking, how can someone be so hot and at the same time so cute? 

“I love you too, Lance.” he says, so happy that he’s able to say that freely now. To tell and show Lance just how much he loves him, anytime he wants to. That he can hold his hand, and kiss his neck, and tell him to be careful before missions without worrying that he’s being obvious, because now it’s okay to be.

Exhausted, they share one last long kiss before falling asleep like that. They have no nightmares that night, protected on each other's arms.


End file.
